Sleep Not for the Beast Walks: Truth
by Silverneko9lives0
Summary: Her prophecy will be void...Jeremy begins to prepare for the inevitable battle with Helena the Beast. Secrets are revealed and the truth of Jeremy's past is revealed in this final instalment of "Sleep Not for the Beast" warning: language
1. Chapter 1: Return

_**SLEEP NOT FOR THE BEAST WALKS**_

_A prophet yet to foretell of a boy who will kill a Dark Lord…Her prophecy will be void when the Dark Lord brings forth a child…_

_Jeremy begins to prepare for the inevitable battle with Helena the Beast. Secrets are revealed and the truth of Jeremy's past is revealed in this final instalment of Sleep Not for the Beast Walks._

**BOOK THE THIRD**

**TRUTH**

Chapter 1: Return

Severus and Jeremy stepped toward the large, stone gates of the Refuge. They were knee deep in snow and, though Jeremy knew there were more important things to do, he desperately wanted a bath.

The doors opened and they entered.

Jeremy wondered when the Refuge seemed so clustered and small. He wondered if this was what Severus meant when he said that everywhere he had been seemed more like a prison than a home.

Jeremy followed the Councilman into The School.

From there, they went their different ways: Severus to his quarters, Jeremy to his.

It was smaller than he remembered. Even Harry's apartment seemed bigger than this…dump? Room? Apartment?

What was Jeremy's room called anyway?

He didn't know anymore.

Jeremy opened the door to his bathroom and turned the water on. He checked the temperature, to make sure he didn't burn himself, before taking his long desired bath.

He sat in the tub and thought, staring at the ceiling.

_Who am I? Am I really Jeremy Campbell? What makes a boy a man? I've never been told I've grown up before—what makes someone…grown up? It's not age, I'm certain of that. Just because I'm a teenager doesn't mean I've grown up._

Jeremy raised a hand and stared at it.

_I need to talk to Cole._

Jeremy stood and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his waist. Entering the room again, he grabbed fresh clothes and quickly dressed.

He toweled his hair dry and grabbed his wand, pocketing it in his inner coat pocket, and left the room.

He strode down to the library and kept an eye out for a room where no one would go. He doubted it'd be on the first five floors, but further underground in the older classrooms. Jeremy ran down the stairs, nearly tripping a couple of times, but otherwise without causing too much injury to himself.

Jeremy glanced through each room on the sixth level of the library. Then the seventh. Then the eighth. He stormed onto the ninth floor.

"Who's there?"

Jeremy ran toward the voice and looked into a classroom window. Cole stared back at him. "Hey."

"Jerry," Cole said, smiling. The smile vanished quickly and Cole jumped up, coming toward him. His hair, usually somewhat clean, was dirty and unkempt. A beard was growing. Cole's usually well kept appearance was dirty and grimy. For a moment, Jeremy wondered if this really was Cole. "When did you get back?" he asked, grabbing the bars that separated him from Jeremy. Definitely Cole.

"Just a couple hours ago, I guess."

"Did you find Terra?"

"Yes."

Cole blinked, confused by Jeremy's bluntness. "Did you bring her back?"

"No."

Cole blinked, taken aback. "What?!" he snapped.

"She wouldn't come back. She chose to stay with the Beast."

Cole stepped away. "Because of me?"

"I guess so," Jeremy said. "She tried to convince me to kill you."

"Terra did?"

"Yeah."

"Is that why you're here?"

"No. I want to ask you why you did it. I want to know why you hurt Terra."

Cole sat down on the cold ground, hugging his knees. Jeremy kept staring at him through the bars, waiting for Cole to speak. Cole wet his lips and began to talk:

"Because I was…I was upset and I was angry and I was hurting. I actually hate you, Jer. Every attempt I made—every pass I attempted to make toward her was always brushed away as though it was nothing. For ten long years I had to suffer that. I wasn't trying to hurt her. All I really wanted to do was talk to her about how I felt. I never meant to take things as far as I did. I never meant to…I never meant to steal her virginity."

"But you did."

"It wasn't premeditated, Jeremy. God as my witness, it wasn't. All that I wanted to do was talk to Terra in private."

"But something had to have happened to make you do it."

Cole nodded and continued his narrative:

"She told me to go away and rot in a hole. I was used to hearing that from her, so it didn't bother me. It was when she said she loved _you_ that I snapped. I started yelling back. I asked if she ever thought how she was hurting me. Then she told me how she didn't even care how I felt about her. I grabbed her and…well…you know what happened after that."

Jeremy sighed and turned his back to Cole, leaning against the door. "So that's what happened?"

"Yes."

"And the reason you weren't looking so good when it all began was because you were disgusted with yourself, right?"

"Beyond disgusted," Cole said, nodding his head. "I didn't even know how I was going to face her after it happened. But then you told me that she was taken out of the refuge and asked me to go save her with you. I couldn't, so I just helped you get out. I wasn't ready to face her and I knew that if I went with you I'd never be ready. That and I would be walking to my death, most likely. I wasn't ready to die yet and I certainly didn't want to be killed by Queen's Eyes. I thought that's what would happen if I went with you, but I figured Old Lady Raquela would at least have me executed humanely for putting everyone in danger. I guess I was wrong. The Council just put me in here."

Jeremy straightened and turned back to Cole. "There's a _huge_ possibility that the Beast is going to siege the Refuge. I'm certain she's using Terra for her advantage to get inside. All Terra wants is your head, but I'm sure that Helena is going to kill everyone here. I thought you should know that. Later."

"Yeah."

Jeremy walked away slowly without looking back at the cell that Cole was locked away in. He ascended back to the surface of the School.

When he opened the door, he didn't even look up at the person who had a tray of food in their hand. He walked past them and browsed through the library.

_Funny_, Jeremy thought, _did I really become this sentimental so quickly in just a few days?_

"Jeremy?"

He looked up at Remus. "Yo."

"You idiot!" Remus shouted. Jeremy backed away. "What the bloody hell possessed you to leave the Refuge?! Do you have any idea how _worried_ I've been?!"

"Okay! Okay. I'm sorry," Jeremy said. "I'll get to work on that Dumbledore essay ASAP."

"Jeremy, I could care less about that essay."

"But…"

Remus shook his head and sat down at a desk, covering his face. "What happened while you were away?"

Jeremy debated how much to tell him. _Don't mention Harry_, his subconscious told him. _Don't get his hopes up about Harry. He's probably really dead now._

Having decided what he could and could not say, Jeremy told Remus most of what happened, saying that it was Neville that took him to London and helped train him. He told Remus about meeting Terra again and her decision.

"Tonks isn't going to be happy to hear that," Remus muttered, lowering his hand. "But at least she's alive."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Are you angry?"

"Yes, but there's more important things to deal with right now. I'm sure Raquela held one of those big meetings about it."

"She did. Everyone's been preparing for the worst. Why?"

"No reason, just wondering," Jeremy answered truthfully. Remus stared at him firmly.

"You're not fighting."

"Eh? I never said anything about fighting."

"You didn't have to. You're not fighting them, Jeremy. You're not going to put yourself in danger."

"Why? Do I have to be fifteen?"

"Y—"

"Remus, I have to fight."

"Absolutely out of the question."

"Everyone here made Harry fight!" Jeremy shouted without thinking. "They made him fight when he was younger than _I _was! Wasn't he eleven when he first fought Voldemort?"

"Voldemort was still presumed dead."

"And everyone assumed he'd go and fight the creature in the Chamber of Secrets, right?!"

"Jeremy what are you getting at?"

"You expect me to fight even though you say I'm just a kid and tell me not to!"

Remus silenced. "What did you say?"

"Isn't that how everyone treated Harry?"

"Why all this interest in Harry Potter all of a sudden?"

"Jeremy."

Jeremy turned around to look at Severus, who jerked his head over to a wall of books. Jeremy walked away from Remus and followed Severus.

"Are you feeling alright?" Severus asked, once they were secluded. Jeremy didn't look at him, but stared at his shoes. "Jeremy."

"Why do I feel that people are expecting me to fight like they expected Harry to fight?"

"They don't. They aren't going to force heroics on you like they did him. Jeremy, look at me." He did so. "You aren't going to be forced to fight. If anything, they don't want you or anyone your age and younger to fight unless it is absolutely necessary. I won't force you to join the others if you don't want to, but listen to me Jeremy; I want you to be safe. If you choose to fight, you do as I say."

Jeremy nodded.

"And whatever you do," Severus continued, "_Don't_ talk about Harry around anyone here. Not even the little ones."

"Why?"

"If you do, people will wonder why you're interested in someone who, to them, has been dead for almost twenty years. Keep the truth about him secret."

"Yes, Sir. I'll try to keep quiet."

"Don't try. Do."

"Yes Sir."

Severus left and Jeremy returned to his room. As he walked away, he heard Remus and Severus talking, but he refused to listen to what they were speaking about.

_Do I want to fight? Do I __**not **__want to fight?_

_I don't know. What do you want to do?_

_I DON'T KNOW!!! I don't know. A part of me wants to, but at the same time I'm scared of what could happen when the time comes._

Jeremy entered his room and looked out the window. It started snowing again.

_Who am I!?! Why am I asking this question now? Why do I feel like something about me is missing?_

Jeremy sat on the bed and wandered in his head again. _Why do I feel a piece of me is missing now? Is it because of Terra?_

Jeremy groaned and lay on his back, frowning. _If none of this happened, what would life be like? What would life have been like if Helena never came to power?_

_Probably nothing much different other than that I'd probably be attending school at Hogwarts maybe…_

Jeremy sat up and grabbed the book on Dumbledore. Though he doubted the essay would mean much now, it would keep his mind occupied.

* * *

"Ready to go?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

The trio remained silent, waiting for someone to speak. One of them nodded. "I have to do this. Let's get going. The Refuge isn't going to last long unless we get there soon."


	2. Chapter 2: Still Alive

Chapter 2: Still Alive

"_HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HERMIONE!!!" the voices shouted as Hermione Granger walked into the common room. _

_She jumped a foot in the air, hand to her chest. "Oh my…wow," Hermione said, laughing. _

"_That's it!" Harry snapped, pouting. "Ron, we should have gotten the twins to help!"_

"_Maybe it's not too late…"_

"_NO!" Hermione shouted, grabbing the boys' sleeves desperately. "The last thing I need is more exploding cake." She hugged the boys and kissed Harry's cheek. "I love you both."_

"_Are you sure you don't want exploding cake?" Ron asked._

"_I'm sure."_

"_If you're sure…oh, shit! Sorry, Mione, I got to go."_

"_Detention, again?"_

"_I swear, Snape is up to something," Ron muttered. _

"_Good luck, Ron," Ginny called._

"_Thanks, Gin," Ron snapped, rolling his eyes._

_Hermione and Harry gave each other knowing looks. Even if the siblings didn't know it yet, the rest of Gryffindor House had been…more observant. It was a "family" secret. _

_Not even Professor McGonagall was aware of Ron and Ginny's growing "friendship" that the rest of the house suspected would become something more sooner or later._

_That was how deep the Gryffindor ties went._

"_How long do you think it'll take for them to realize it?"_

"_Er…not sure," Harry muttered. "Nor do I care. I'm more worried about what'll happen when Mrs. Weasley or Mr. Weasley or both find out…" Harry shuddered. "How are we going to figure out how to explain it?"_

"_We'll worry about it then," Hermione said, linking arms with him. She rested her head on Harry's shoulder._

"_What if Professor Snape's already got it figured out?"_

"_I'm sure that if he did, he'd have talked to McGonagall, who'd contact their parents. No. More likely, Ron just keeps digging his own grave where Snape's concerned. Besides, I'm hoping they'll both realize it sooner or later."_

"_And if not?"_

"_Then I've already talked to Dean about it," Hermione said with a wink. They sat at the couch while a few students played pin the beak on the hippogriff behind them. Ginny had left the festivities now that her brother was gone. "He was most willing to ask Ginny out if Ron doesn't admit it by Halloween."_

"_Won't that be a bit fast?"_

"_Considering that Ron and Ginny have had all their lives to admit it, no," Hermione said. "More like just the right time. They can run away—"_

"_I'm surprised! Hermione Granger, are you an otaku?"_

_Hermione grinned, "Whose fault is that?" she asked, poking his chest._

"_I didn't expect you to get into __Angel Sanctuary__."_

"_Well," Hermione said, curling her legs next to her and leaning into Harry. "I did. And now I'm going to get them together if it kills me."_

"_No. You're not going to kill yourself trying to get them together. I'm sure it'll work out…somehow."_

_Hermione smiled and closed her eyes. "I love you."_

"_As do I, Love," Harry said kissing Hermione's head…_

_**Hermione Granger and I had been best friends since we were eleven. We've been dating since the end of our fifth year at Hogwarts when we realized that what we thought was more of a sibling sort of affection like what Ron and Ginny had was much, much greater than that.**_

_**I loved her. I still do. Deep inside Helena the Beast, Hermione Jane Granger, the woman I adore, is still alive. **_

_**I know she is still alive.**_

_**Things began to change as we began our sixth year. Especially after Hermione's seventeenth birthday. At first, it wasn't all that noticeable, but as time went on, I could not ignore the strangeness of Hermione's behavior…**_

_Hermione had run from the classroom, her strides angry and purposeful, after the bell rang. Harry chased after her, after giving Professor Snape a nasty glare behind the teacher's back._

"_Hermione!"_

_Hermione halted and turned to Harry, her eyes set in a stony glare. "What?" she growled._

_Harry embraced her. "You did well for a first shot at Occlumency."_

"_He saw it."_

_Harry tightened his embrace. "Really?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, in comparison to what it was like for me, I'm sure you did better on a huge scale."_

"_That doesn't change the fact that he knows!"_

_Harry released her from his embrace, but did not let go entirely. They walked back to Gryffindor Tower. "Really though," Harry said, "You still did well in comparison."_

"_Tch."_

"_I love you."_

_Hermione smiled a little, but Harry couldn't help but notice that it was a ghost of a smile…_

_**A few weeks after we began learning Occlumency as a defense, Ron won himself a huge butt-load of detentions after catching Dean taking things a little too far with Ginny. **_

_**Dean never approached Ginny again afterward. **_

_**When Ginny asked Ron later what brought him to do that, Hermione and I accidently found Ron finally confessing how he felt to Ginny.**_

_**Hermione was ecstatic, but I was getting slightly more worried about their relationship. If Ron wanted to try his hands at incest, than that was his deal, but it still worried me. More so what his parents would do if they knew how he felt about their daughter—his **__**sister**__**.**_

_**The Gryffindor "Family Secret" became even more of a secret that every Gryffindor protected—save McGonagall—now that it was "official," I guess you could say. **_

_**But things were far from right, as I began to notice that Hermione had been acting off.**_

_**At first, I was worried that, possibly, I had gotten her pregnant, but she swore she wasn't. She said so quite vehemently, so I backed off.**_

_**But while Ginny and Ron grew closer, Hermione began to seem to fade and I was worried.**_

_**I was reluctant to leave that May with Dumbledore to collect a horcrux, but I went anyway.**_

_**And when I returned…**_

_The school blazed._

_Death Eaters ran amuck._

_Dumbledore shouted at Harry to get Professor Snape. Harry did so, but after Snape had gone, he went to find Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. _

_And he did find them._

_Hermione stood over them, covered in blood._

_Ron's back was still draining of blood and he refused to release Ginny, who had also been killed. He still breathed, but he couldn't keep awake much longer._

"_Nice to meet you, Harry Potter…Again."_

"_Hermione?"_

It's not Hermione, Harry_…Ron wanted to say, but he couldn't will himself the energy to speak…_

_Hermione—now Helena the Beast—cut Harry down._

_**I remember, as I lay there in the school, bleeding to death, that I wanted everything to end. Without Hermione, who betrayed me, there was no reason for me to keep living.**_

_**I decided that I had had enough of being a stupid little child and was thinking of just finishing what she began off when Professor Snape found me. **_

_**I told him to stop trying to save me, but he wouldn't listen. **_

_**He told me to keep living and that perhaps, someday, I might, possibly, break through to Hermione. That because Helena was still breathing, so perhaps Hermione still breathed somewhere in the depths of Helena's mind…**_

_**Dumbledore's Army still exists, this time to catch Helena and reach out to Hermione—to bring her back.**_

_**There are many spies amongst the Queen's Eyes for Dumbledore's Army, but none of them are high in rank—possibly, Helena suspects something. Only Cho Chang was able to get close enough to Helena to be an effective informant.**_

_**Whenever Helena leaves her fortress which was once the place I called home, I follow her, in hopes that maybe I can stop her before it's too late. But as soon as I arrive, she vanishes again back to Hogwarts.**_

_**It's as though she knows that I am planning to capture her and find Hermione.**_

_**But one day, opportunity to approach her arose.**_

_**Helena had taken a girl from the Refuge into her care and a friend of that girl—a young boy—fell into my lap. I promised to help him at least see his friend before we most likely got killed.**_

_**Things, surprisingly, went quite well and I am able to get close enough to Helena that I can almost see Hermione.**_

_**When I am close enough to begin to pry around her mind, she pulls out her wand. I panicked, so I pulled out my wand and we scream the same spell, which we both dodge…**_

_**The duel was short lived, but I survived by taking cover under the couch.**_

_**Helena escapes out the window and apparates. As for myself, I wait until it is safe to leave before returning to the Leaky Cauldron and calling an emergency meeting.**_

_**If at all possible, we—Dumbledore's Army—will aid the Refuge.**_

_**And now I wait here at the Leaky Cauldron for members of Dumbledore's Army who had not become spies so we can leave for the Refuge.**_

_**I'm worried about that boy I met—Jeremy. There's something about him that I recognize. A spark—and that spark scares me.**_

_**I'm worried about my old teachers—Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and only Merlin knows who else might be there.**_

_**I'm worried about my old friends who had gone to the Refuge in search of shelter and safety.**_

_**I'm worried about the children who reside there—children who could easily be ensnared by Helena.**_

_**I've lived my life as a coward after I "died." I had to if I wanted to survive.**_

_**However, I cannot just stand by, pretending to be dead if more lives are at stake.**_

_**And I have to find Hermione.**_

"Ready to go?" Neville asked, looking at Harry.

"Yes," Harry answered, checking his pockets to make sure he had everything. Map, check. Wand, check, gun just in case wand stops working for some odd or completely unforeseen reason (_it's quite possible_, Harry thought), check.

"Then let's go," Neville said.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Luna Lovegood asked, staring at Harry intensely.

Neville looked from Harry to Luna curiously. No one moved. No one spoke.

Finally, Harry nodded his head. "I have to do this. Let's get going. The Refuge isn't going to last long unless we get there soon."

"Do you know where to go?"

"I was able to extract a little information from our dear Professor Snape," Harry said, a smile crossing his face. "We'll side apparate."

"A three person apparition!?" Neville snapped. Luna ignored him and linked her arm with Harry's. Neville groaned and linked arms with Luna.

"I think you're supposed to hold onto Harry, Neville."

"Come on, Nev. I don't bite."

"No, but you definitely smell."

"Hey!"

"Now I know how Hermione must have felt when you and Ron fought, Harry," Luna teased.

Harry glared at her and Neville, muttering darkly under his breath, took hold of Harry's other arm.

They apparated outside a fortress of stone in front of a large dragon and a giant; they dodged the giant's swinging arm as it brought down a massive club upon their heads.

"Sorry to bother you," Harry said, "but we're friends. We'd like to speak to a member of the, er, Council."

"Who be?" the Giant demanded.

"Me? I'm James Evans and these are my compatriots, Mr. Neville Longbottom and Ms. Luna Lovegood. Can we please go inside now?"

The Giant shook his shoulders, as though to shake off the snow that fell on him and turned to open the door just enough to let them in.

"Thank you," Harry said, leading Neville and Luna inside. He pulled his cloak further over his head.

"I haven't even been here for five minutes and I already know I'd hate it," Neville muttered, glaring around the place. "They really _think_ they can keep Helena out of a place this _lax_?"

"I know what you mean," Harry agreed. "But for now, we have to find Snape. Maybe we'll run into Jeremy while we're here."

"And if we do?"

"Then I'm gonna slap that kid across the face with a dead fish for taking my bag."

Luna snickered.

"Besides that," Neville snapped, "what are you going to do?"

"Er…well…definitely _not_ hug him."

"Good. At least we'll know you're not Michael Jackson."

"Say that to my face!" Harry shouted.

Heads turned. Luna bonked both of them on the head. "Sorry about them, they're a bit drunk." Onlookers turned away and Luna glared at them. "Keep it up and we'll be found out _before_ we meet with Severus."

"Yes, Mother Moon."

"James Evans, I mean it," Luna snapped.

"Okay, okay, don't get your knickers in a twist. Let's go find Councilman Snape and get things cleared up before we cause a bigger scene than we already have."

They walked in swift strides towards the School.

Two weeks had passed since he and Jeremy had returned to the Refuge.

Other than that they had failed to bring Terra back, everything—save for the preparation for a siege that may never happen—seemed to fall back into place.

The only differences seemed to be that Cole was locked away, Terra was gone, and Jeremy…Jeremy had changed.

He had matured.

In any other circumstance, Severus would have been overjoyed that Jeremy was finally being more responsible, but…

There was something not right with the way Jeremy had been acting. As though he was angry, but he was suppressing his rage.

Sometimes, Jeremy would just stare outside the window as though deep in thought—which he never did.

"What happened while you were gone?" Remus asked. "Did he become a daydreamer? Or is he thinking of some sort of philosophy."

"I doubt he's having any philosophical thoughts," Severus said. But the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder.

Someone knocked at the door.

"Come in," Severus snapped. The door opened and three people entered.

"Darn, and here I was hoping you'd have finally died," Severus muttered, staring at Harry, Neville, and Luna Lovegood.

"Hello to you too, Councilman," Harry said. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've never died easily."

"That is quite true."

"How's Jeremy?" Luna asked.

"Still ignorant, but quite good—wait, what?"

"Oh, Professor, you can see the similarities really easily when you look at you both together."

"But—"

"Professor, it's Luna," Neville said.

"And that should automatically explains how she _knows_?"

Neville and Harry looked at each other. They nodded. "Yeah."

"That would explain _everything_. Somehow Luna knows everything."

Severus shook his head. "You're reasoning skills are _terrible_."

"Reasoning aside," Neville said, taking a seat, "we're here to help."

Severus raised an eyebrow at Neville. "Help?"

"This place is going to fall."

"And bad," Harry added. "It's obvious that no one has been ready for battle in years here, so be glad we've decided to come out of hiding."

"Potter," Severus muttered.

"Yes?"

"I'm this close," Severus measured with his fingers, "to punching the living daylights out of you."

Harry shrugged. "So, I sorta want to punch your son."

Severus shook his head. "Go ahead. It might snap him out of it."

"What's the brat moping about this time?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! He's either thinking deep thoughts or daydreaming! I don't even know what the heck is going through his head anymore!"

"Did you ever?"

"No."

"Not even when you wanted to use Leginimency on him?"

"No! Just because I'm an Occlumens and a Leginamens does _not_ mean I'm going to read my son's thoughts!"

"Ah-ha! So Jeremy Campbell really _is_ your son."

"I thought you already _knew _that."

Luna just grinned airily. "Knew _what_?"

Severus shook his head. "Bugger all. Yes, Jeremy's real name is Jeremy Domitian Snape."

The trio stared at their former teacher.

"His middle name's 'Domitian'?" Neville asked. "I figured it would've been 'Severus' after yourself."

"No. I figured I'd be original," Severus snapped. "I actually wanted to call him Gaius, but Mary wouldn't hear of it."

"You're wife?"

"Ms. Lovegood, I already have a headache trying to figure out _how_ you got me to admit to my relation to Jeremy. Don't aggravate it."

Luna shrugged.

"I'll just say it once then: I want to know what happened. You were never one for walls, Professor, so why did you come here?"

"Luna," Neville said; his voice low as though delivering a warning, "that's enough. Whatever Snape's reason is, it isn't our concern."

"Thank you, Mr. Longbottom."

"You're most welcome, Sir. Whatever your thoughts on our being here aside," Neville smiled calmly, "we're here to help prepare for Helena's siege and only that."

Severus studied them. "So I expect you'll want rooms now?"

"If that's not too much to ask," Harry said.

Severus glared at them. He stood and sighed. "Follow me."

The trio followed their former professor out of the office and down the hall.

Outside the refuge, a black wolf snarled, gnashing its teeth together, staring at the outer walls. A delicate hand, perfectly manicured, stroked its head, scratching behind the ears.


	3. Chapter 3: Siege

Chapter 3: Siege

Harry followed Severus up to the next floor.

"Students live upstairs," Severus said, "close to the dining hall. When they graduate, they are given a choice of becoming a teacher or a second class citizen. Teachers live upstairs above the students. Councilmen and –women live below."

"You sure know how to get people to work out," Harry joked.

Severus didn't answer him, but stopped at a door. "This is Jeremy's room," he said. "Are you sure you can get him to snap out of this reverie?"

"Me? No. I just want an excuse to beat some sense into that kid. Sometimes a good belting can do wonders."

Severus ignored Harry and knocked on the door. "Jeremy? We're coming in." He turned the handle and the door swung open.

Jeremy was at the desk, writing.

"What are you doing?"

"Finishing a very overdue essay."

"Over_due_?"

"It was assigned before I went to look for Terra," Jeremy answered in a monotone.

Severus turned to Harry. "Do whatever you can."

"Got it," Harry said. Severus left, closing the door. Harry looked around the room. It was smaller than his apartment, but since there was no need for a kitchen area, it was quite suitable for a dorm resident such as Jeremy. He sat on the bed.

Jeremy didn't turn to him or even acknowledge his presence.

"Are you just going to stare at me, Severus?"

"Severus left."

Jeremy spun around to look at him.

"Hey, kid."

"How the _hell_ did you escape?"

Harry glared at Jeremy. "Yes, Jerry, I'm alright, thanks for asking."

"But there was an explosion!"

"A piece of cake."

"Jerk!"

"Lout."

"Mother—"

Harry slammed his fist into Jeremy's jaw. Jeremy fell off his chair and onto the floor, coughing. Harry shook his hand as though cooling it down. "Damn, that felt good. Did it work?"

"Did what work?" Jeremy snapped, getting up. His lip was cut and blood dribbled down his chin.

"Getting duked. Or are you still moping?"

"I wasn't moping."

Harry picked up the parchment and scanned a few sentences. "An essay on Albus Dumbledore?"

Jeremy went into another room for a moment then returned with a cloth pressed to his lip. "I was doing the essay to keep myself busy."

"I figured you'd be joining the oncoming fight."

"I'm not sure yet what I want to do. I want to fight, but at the same time, I don't think I should."

"You should."

"I'm not you, alright? I can't just jump on the back of a hippogriff and fly off into the sunset!"

"True, but that wasn't me. That was Sirius Black."

"Same difference! You still rode a hippogriff."

"Alright, that's fair," Harry said. "I still think you should fight."

"Why?"

Harry shrugged. "I think you'd do well to fight. This is where you live, right?"

"Yeah, but I'm still trying to figure out what 'home' means to me," Jeremy snapped. "I don't know what the Refuge is anymore."

Harry sat down on the chair and Jeremy sat cross legged on the bed. "Home is where the heart is," Harry said. "For me, my heart was at Hogwarts until it was destroyed. I have a place to live, but it isn't really home."

Jeremy bowed his head. "Now you're getting philosophical."

"Weren't you? It's alright to think deep thoughts. Many people think philosophers are geniuses. You're not, but I'm not gonna stop you from trying to be a philosopher."

"I'm not, I've just been doing a lot of…thinking…since I got back."

"That's probably why Snape's freaking out. It's not like you to be so…mature. Relax; don't think so much, it's bound to cause a nasty migraine. Just do what you believe is right. Do you believe you have to fight?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I don't know."

Harry stood. "You'll know when you absolutely need to know. Until then, I'm gonna go get me some grub."

Jeremy watched him go and scoffed when the door closed.

_He's right though…_

Jeremy went to go check his lip again when the red alert began to buzz. The door burst open and Remus ran into the bathroom.

"Jere—what happened to your lip?"

"Never mind that, what's going on?"

"It's begun. Get some spare clothes and get your ass underground with the rest of the younger ones."

Jeremy did as he was told, understanding the urgency. He followed the rest of the students and the younger children downstairs into the catacombs.

There, Jeremy and a few others his age tried to keep the younger students calm.

"How long do we have to stay here?" a girl snapped.

"Until someone tells us otherwise," Jeremy snapped back.

"This never would have happened if Terra didn't run away!"

Jeremy sighed, trying to calm his rising anger toward the boy who shouted that. _What do I do?_

_What do you think you should do?_

Jeremy stood and whistled shrilly. The screaming and murmuring stopped and the children looked at him. "I know you're all scared," he began. "I am too—"

They began to shout and insult him.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" Jeremy shouted back.

They silenced.

"The Beast _wants _us to be scared, she expects us to be panicking and all. If we're found, those ten and older will be killed alongside the adults and the younger ones will be taken away from everything they know! We can't let our fear drive us off the wall. We have to work together to ensure success. Those twelve and older are to protect the younger students because if you don't, the Beast will cut you down before you have a chance to even _raise_ your wand. If we stay here, we'll be sitting ducks."

"Then what do you suppose we do?"

Jeremy silenced. "We need to get out of the Refuge."

"Is there a way out?"

Jeremy blinked, thinking. "Yes, there is. We need brooms. Follow me and whatever you do, be quiet. Older siblings are responsible for keeping track of younger siblings and keeping them quiet. Any orphans and only children are to pair up older and younger. And stick together. We'll work better in a group. Follow me."

Jeremy jumped down and grabbed the hand of a little girl, who looked quite terrified, pulling her along. It was a quick and silent affair. When they reached the upper levels of the School, Jeremy led them to the broom sheds and the brooms were distributed between the pairs.

"Those who can put a concealment charm on yourself, your sibling or charge, and the broom."

Again, the children worked quickly. Those who knew the charm helped the younger students and, pair by pair, they flew outside.

"GO UP," Jeremy shouted, "AS FAR UP AS YOU CAN!"

He picked up the little girl and they straddled the broom. The girl clung onto Jeremy tightly, soaking his shirt in tears.

_She couldn't be any older than five or six,_ Jeremy noted. "Trust me," he whispered to her. "I'll get you out of here."

The girl nodded and Jeremy urged his broom out and up into the sky. "KEEP GOING UP!!!" Jeremy shouted.

"BUT THERE ARE CHARMS KEEPING US BACK!!"

"KEEP GOING UP!! FIGHT THE CHARMS!!" Jeremy urged. The constant pressure of the students fighting the charms wavered both the charms and the children.

"_KEEP __**GOING**__!!!" _Jeremy shouted with a strained grunt. The charms began to lessen their power and, pair by pair, students began to break through and fly into the sky. Jeremy shot upward and the girl clutched onto him tighter than before, screaming.

After a few feet, they looked down at the Refuge.

"That's what it looks like from up here?"

"Don't waste time," Jeremy shouted, "find a place to land and get as far from the Refuge as you can. If possible, keep together. If you run across any Muggles, tell them nothing."

He led them away from the refuge and they landed. The girl slid off and landed on her bottom, tears streaking down her face.

The other students did the same and an older girl helped her up. "What are you going to do?" she asked Jeremy. "You're coming with us, right?"

Jeremy bit his lip, and winced, reopening the wound. "I…I think I'm going to go back."

"Why?"

"I feel like I should."

"After you've led us this far, you're going back?"

"If you think you can lead them than lead them, I'm going back," Jeremy snapped, mounting the broom again.

"Big brother," the girl said, "be careful."

Jeremy nodded and smiled. "I will be." He kicked off and rose back into the sky. He spun around, looking for the Refuge again.

Spotting it, Jeremy flew back.

He recoiled and pulled back when a great black lizard flew in front of him. He blanched and his mouth opened in a silent gasp.

"Oh…fucking shit…" he muttered as he and the dragon locked gazes. The dragon purred, staring at Jeremy. Jeremy tried to steady his breathing and his fast beating heart. "Are you going to let me by?" he whispered.

The dragon grinned at him and purred loudly. Smoke came out of the dragon's nostrils and it opened its mouth.

Jeremy swore under his breath and dove downward. Fire sprung from the dragon's mouth and Jeremy urged the broom Godspeed. He looked behind at the dragon which sped after him and dodged the flames again.

After what seemed like ages, Jeremy was above the refuge.

Without a thought other than landing, Jeremy dove downward, the dragon followed, roaring at him. Jeremy righted the broom and dodged the flames another time.

The dragon's fire hit buildings, people, and whatever else it could. The tail of Jeremy's broom smoked and Jeremy tried to land, but the broom wouldn't obey his commands and he crashed into the wall.

Shakily, Jeremy stood again and pulled out his wand. It had snapped in his pocket. Tossing it aside, Jeremy looked around and found a spare wand clutched in a corpse's hand.

He grabbed the wand and looked around. He ran toward the School. Every chance he could, he stunned a Queen's Eye and would go further into the smoke.

"Severus!" He shouted. "Harry!" Jeremy walked further into the blinding smoke…

Harry shot a stunning spell at Helena, who blocked it and shot a death curse at him.

"Hermione, look at me!"

"I am _Helena, _you half-wit," she shrieked, casting another death curse.

Harry dodged again and grabbed her wrist, twisting it. Helena screamed, but refused to release her wand. Harry spun her around and restrained her in an embrace, his hand still grasping her wrist in a tight grip. "Hermione, please listen to my voice. Wake up. Fight _her_, Hermione. Come back to me. I love you."

Helena growled. Her growl rose into a shriek and she struggled against him. Harry refused to let go.

"Fight her, Hermione. I know you're still inside her. Wake up…please wake up."

Helena yanked herself out of Harry's grasp. "I told you, she died."

Harry shook his head. "No. She isn't dead. You're still alive, so she _has_ to be alive."

"You're a fool," Helena spat. Harry grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer. What are you—"

"Leginamens," Harry whispered.

_Black._

_Everything was black and a storm raged._

_Harry stepped forward and his foot stepped on something warm and wet and thick. He looked down and saw red._

_Blood._

_He looked up and the black began to fade into gold and red and even some grey. Harry blanched at the sight of thousands upon thousands of bleeding bodies surrounding him and continuing on for miles._

Victims? Or what Helena wants?

_Harry stepped forward looking for anyone still standing in this mind._

_As he walked, he kept looking._

"_GET OUT OF MY MIND!!!" Helena shrieked._

"_I thought you'd be a better Occlumens than this," Harry retorted._

"_GET OUT!!"_

"_Not until I find her."_

"_YOU WON'T FIND HER!!"_

"_I will." Harry kept walking around the mind until he arrived to a large, black castle. He crossed the bridge and entered._

_He knew where to go as easily as he did Hogwarts. He walked up the stairs to the second floor and circled the floor until he stopped at a room with a white light glowing from inside._

_Harry reached forward and opened the door._

_He stepped inside and looked around. He could hear crying and looked about. He caught sight of the mirror._

_A little boy with unruly black hair and glasses several sizes too big for his face and a small frame stared back at him from the mirror. He raised his hand to his face. Indeed, he was a child again. The crying person heaved a sob and Harry turned to the stalls. He kept his gaze on the ground for feet. _

_The last stall was occupied._

_He knocked on the door. "Hermione? Is that you?"_

_The crying stopped._

"_Who's there?" Hermione's voice echoed hoarsely from the stall. _

"_It's Harry. Come on out, Hermione."_

"_No."_

"_Then I'll come in."_

"_Stay away from me…"_

"_Why?"_

_The stall opened. Like Harry, Hermione was a buck-toothed, bushy haired eleven-year-old again. Her hands and her uniform were drenched in blood._

"_Now you know," Hermione said. She slammed the door in Harry's face. "Just go away. Please."_

"_Did you kill someone?"_

"_I killed too many people. I don't want to kill you too, Harry."_

"_You _won't._" Harry said, pushing the stall door open again. Hermione was sitting in the corner, hiding her face from Harry in her knees. "Hermione, I'm not leaving."_

"_You should."_

"_I'm not going to leave you like this."_

"_This isn't school Harry—you're not saving me from a troll this time."_

"_I know that," Harry said, coming closer. He knelt down. "But I'm not leaving you here. Come on, Hermione, come back."_

"_But to come back, I'd have to go through that sea of blood."_

"_I'll be with you the whole way. Who are you? You've been Hermione Granger and you've been Helena Riddle. Who are you going to choose?"_

_Hermione looked up at him and blinked. She swallowed and looked at Harry. He smiled and held out his hand for her to take._

_Hermione shakily reached out and took his hand._

_The blood coating her began to recede and Harry pulled her to her feet. More blood began to fall to her feet with each step they took out._

_The bright light followed them with each step._

_They walked down the stairs._

"_GET BACK TO YOUR PLACE!!" Helena screamed. "YOU DO NOT EXIST!!!"_

_Hermione stopped and Harry looked at her. She was thirteen again and her eyes were wide with doe-like fear._

"_Don't listen to her," Harry whispered in her ear. "You do exist and you always will exist. If not, I never would have found you."_

_Hermione nodded and tightened her grip on Harry's hand. "Harry?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Could we just run? I'm afraid to move forward."_

_Harry nodded and tightened his grip on her hand. "We'll run." He pulled her along and they dashed across the bridge and through the sea of corpses which were dashed apart by the light._

_As they ran, the corpses came to life and tried to grab them and pull them back._

_Yet they kept running even when a corpse or two would succeed in grabbing Hermione—she'd yank out of their grasp and continue on…_

Harry exited Hermione's mind. She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Where are we?"

Harry silenced her. "It's alright now," he said, "you're back."

He embraced her. "Come on. Let's get out of here before they—" He stopped, feeling something slide into his stomach.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Hermione said. "You thought Hermione Granger had a split personality? If I knew better, I wouldn't have had to trick you. But if you must know, I did love you then and so long as I never remembered, maybe things might have been much different."

Helena pulled the dagger out, her hand steadying Harry. "Her…mi…"

"My name is Helena, Harry." Helena raised her wand to Harry's head, aimed between his eyes. "This time, I'm finishing the job."

Harry closed his eyes, still in too much pain to speak back—both physical and emotional.

_She was never there…_

"Avada…"

_It was all just an illusion…_

"Kedavra."

A flash of bright green light blinding Harry and he felt life leave him.

_All I ever fought for…does it really exist?_

Helena released her hold on Harry's corpse and watched it fall.

The so called "Chosen One" was finally dead.


	4. Chapter 4: Suppressed

Chapter 4: Suppressed

Jeremy breathed heavily, gulping air into his lungs. He glanced about, but it was hard enough to see. He kept the wand ready in case he was attacked. He ran blindly about. His left foot caught behind his right and he tripped.

His hands stung.

Jeremy forced himself to get up and looked about again. He couldn't see due to the smoke.

"SECTUSEMPRA!!"

Jeremy barely dodged. "Imprego!" he shouted in the direction of the voice. His attacker screamed. Jeremy stood again and began to run, trying to get out of the smoke. He bumped into a standing body. The hands grabbed him and pulled him out of the blinding blackness.

"S…Severus?" he asked, his eyes still full of smoke, "Remus? Who are you?"

The man tossed Jeremy to the ground. "Crucio," he growled.

Excruciating pain went through Jeremy like a shockwave. He opened his mouth in a scream, but no sound escaped his lips. Jeremy twitched trying to stop the pain.

_Severus! Remus! Harry! DAD!!! _

Tears stung and blurred Jeremy's sight.

_DAD!!!_

"_JEREMY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"_

_It hurts…is this…is this a crucifixion…?_

The pain stopped after Jeremy's sight was blinded by a flash of green light.

_Am I dead?_

Jeremy blinked. Someone robed entirely in black hoisted him up and spoke something to him, but Jeremy didn't hear a word that was spoken. He closed his eyes, succumbing to sleep…or was it death?

_Jeremy opened his eyes. _

_He was dreaming again. _

_All around him was black and gold. _

_He was walking down a stone street lined with little houses and little yards. _

_All the houses were the same—drab. But as he walked, he noticed that one house had an open door. _

_Jeremy felt drawn to the house, so he went inside._

"_I want Daddy!" a little boy said to his mother. _

"_Daddy will be home tonight, my little prince," the woman said. "Can you wait to see Daddy until dinner."_

"_I want Daddy now!"_

"_I know, but you'll just have to hold tight."_

_The boy scrunched his face up and opened his mouth to scream._

"_Jeremy, if you throw a tantrum over not seeing Daddy, you'll get put in the corner and no snack," the woman snapped, staring at the boy harshly. He shut his mouth, fearful of his mother's harshness. She smiled, her face softening. "How about this, we'll call Daddy and you can say hello for a little bit. Will that make you happy?"_

_The boy nodded. The woman grinned and Jeremy went further inside. The woman looked familiar, but Jeremy didn't know from where. He turned away from her and looked at the boy, who sniffed, rubbing his tiny hand against his nose. _

_He couldn't have been any older than two or three at best._

"_Severus," the woman said on some sort of communication device that Jeremy didn't recognize. "Jeremy's been asking for you…yes, he's right here. Say hi to Daddy, Jeremy," the woman said, holding the device to the boy's ear._

"_Daddy! Guess what, Daddy…I'm three! ...Yeah…when are you coming home, Daddy? …That's so long! No, I won't cause Mommy too much trouble; I'm a good boy…OK. Mommy, Daddy wants to talk to you."_

_The boy handed the phone to his mother, who took it back from him. "Yes…? No…it's already taken care of, Severus…"_

"_Mom?" Jeremy muttered. _

"_Yes…I'll see you tonight, Sev…I love you, too…bye." She pressed a button and put the device away. Jeremy stared at the woman, trying to figure out what possessed him to call her "mom."_

_She had his eyes and the same wild, unruly, curly hair. It was longer and tied back in a scrunchy tie, but there was no denying the similarities._

But if that's my mom, then…_Jeremy turned to the boy in the high chair, making a mess with a mischievous grin all over the place. _That's me? As a three year old? But then my Dad…she was talking to my Dad and so was I for a little while.

_Jeremy averted his gaze from his younger self to his mother. He followed her into the parlor. The entire room was decorated for a party. She glanced at the clock. It read two o'clock in the afternoon._

"_Just another hour," she whispered. "Another hour to prepare for all the screaming children…"_

A birthday party? Who would come?

_He heard the door click open and a man entered. Jeremy stared at the man intently._

Dad?

_Jeremy's mother turned to the man and pressed her finger to her lips. He looked at her briefly and nodded, grinning. He took off his shoes and snuck by the kitchen and into the living room toward her._

"_You're still going to do some tricks, right?"_

"_Yes," the man said. Jeremy's eyes widened. He knew that voice and that build and that…that hair—those eyes! "Why not? The kids don't have to know I'm a real wizard. Jeremy doesn't…yet."_

"_Sev, you'll have to talk to him about it sooner or later. I don't want to have an accident happen and Jeremy freak out because he doesn't understand what's going on."_

No…it's a dream. Severus Snape isn't my dad. He can't be!

"_He'll grow up doing magic sooner or later. There's no need to worry. Magic doesn't always start showing up until a child's at least five. When he's at that age, I'll tell him about magic unless it happens sooner."_

"_I just don't want him to freak out when he blows up the house."_

"_Now you're exaggerating. No magical child could pull such a feat, Mary," Severus said, smiling. "Actually, I'd be impressed if he did manage it."_

_Mary slapped Severus' arm. "Don't joke about that."_

"_Alright, sorry. I'm going to go get ready."_

_The image faded out. Jeremy raised his hand to his head to ease himself out of dizziness. He blinked and looked about._

_He was still in the living room, but something was different._

_The party decorations were gone and the furniture was overturned. _

_Shivering, Jeremy forced himself to move. He looked into the kitchen. Like the living room, furniture was overturned and the entire place was a mess. The clock read six fifty-eight, PM. He looked upstairs and heard noises coming there. He shivered violently and bit his lip. He shakily grabbed the banister and walked upstairs._

"Jeremy? Can you hear me?"

Sev…Dad?

"You already remember that much?"

What happened?

"Jeremy, listen to me, you have to wake up…"

But I have to know.

"No, you don't. Believe me, you don't."

Dad, I need to know. I'll wake up, I promise, but I have to know what happened.

"Jeremy Domitian Snape, you _will _listen to me! Wake up!"

_Jeremy ignored Severus' voice and continued to climb the stairs._

"Jeremy, you don't need to know. Please wake up."

_Jeremy reached the top of the stairs._

"_Mary? Jeremy?"_

_Jeremy turned around to see Severus running up the stairs. He threw a door open and froze for a brief moment._

"JEREMY, WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!" _Jeremy felt something collide with his cheek and his head snapped to the side. But he still did not wake up. Jeremy turned back to the memory._

_Severus rushed in, pulling out his wand. "AVADA KEDAVRA!!!" A flash of green shone from the room. Jeremy ran to the door and peered inside. Severus stood over a large wolf._

_There was blood. Lots of blood. Severus approached the bed, stepping over the wolf. He knelt at the side of the bed, looking at the bloody mess and reached out to touch it. His hand never reached the carcass, falling to his side._

"_Daddy?" _

_Jeremy and Severus turned to look at the boy Jeremy._

"_Daddy," Jeremy's younger self tried to run, but Severus stood and strode toward the boy. He picked him up and carried him out of the room. _

"_How much did you see?" Severus demanded after setting Jeremy down outside of the room. _

"_A man came here. He said he knew you and wanted to talk to you," he said. "Mommy told me to go hide and to stay in my room. She scared me, so I hid. Even when I heard screaming, I stayed put…where's Mommy?"_

_Severus became lax._

"_Daddy?" the boy Jeremy said. "Daddy, why are you crying? What's wrong with Mommy?"_

"_Shhhh," Severus said, embracing Jeremy tightly. "Everything's going to be alright."_

"_Then why are you crying?"_

"_Jeremy, trust me, everything's going to be alright."_

"Now you know," _Severus said. _"Are you going to wake up now?"

Who killed mom?

_He waited for an answer. None came._

Dad, tell me who killed her.

"His name? Why do you want to know his name? You don't need to know."

Yes, I do! I already know it was a werewolf; tell me his name!

_Silence. _"His name," _Severus said, _"Was Fenrir Greyback…"

Jeremy opened his eyes. Everything hurt. Especially his cheek; Jeremy urged himself to move, but strong hands steadied him.

"Don't move," Severus said. "How do you feel?"

"Sowr…awl ovewr…why duz my faze feel num?" Jeremy asked.

Severus laughed. "I slapped you, trying to wake you up before you saw too much. Why do you have to be so bloody rebellious, Jeremy?"

"Hoo waz Feweer Gweybagk? Why did ee kill mum? Why coodent I wememba anyzhing?"

"Alright, alright, just don't strain yourself," Severus said, holding Jeremy down on the bed again. Severus sighed; he began to speak:

"Fenrir Greyback and I used to work together.

"When I was younger, I was…I was stupid. I might as well have sold my soul to the devil when I was about your age, maybe a little older…yes, I was about seventeen or eighteen when I got this," Severus unrolled his sleeve and showed the black and white tattoo etched into his skin.

It was a skull tattoo with a snake coming out of its mouth.

"I was a lot like you are now, Jeremy: rebellious, angry, wild…and like you, I was in love with my best friend. She married my rival at school and bore his child. She was a muggle born girl I grew up with. She lived just a few houses down the street from me. I joined Lord Voldemort—Helena' father—in hopes that I could steal her back. As I said, I was angry. Very angry." He fixed his sleeve.

"I was a Death Eater, Jeremy, for a short time. When the girl I loved died protecting her son, I switched sides and became a spy for Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. I vowed never to make the same mistake again and protected her son with all my power and without hinting that I was protecting him.

"Anyway: to answer your question. Greyback was also a Death Eater, and, as you pointed out, he was a werewolf. He was old. Very old. He was the werewolf that turned Remus into a werewolf, Jeremy, when Remus was probably no older when you were when he killed your mother. If Greyback learned of your existence before I returned that night, he probably would have bitten you.

"He was looking for me. Possibly, he might have found out that I had been a spy for Dumbledore after the rise of the Beast. Even now, I don't know why he killed your mother, Jeremy. Perhaps she angered him. She obviously tried to fight him off on her own and enraged him, so he transformed and attacked. She was…" Severus inhaled sharply. "She was completely maimed, Jeremy. You were only three: I didn't want you to see her utterly destroyed. I wanted you to remember your mother as she was in life.

"And now your final question: why you couldn't remember anything…I erased your memory. After you realized your mother wasn't coming back from the dead, you stopped eating or sleeping. You wouldn't talk to me. I brought you to the Refuge, hoping that…different surroundings would help you learn to live without your mom, but it just made things worse.

"You were hospitalized, force fed, and even given sleeping draughts. I couldn't let it go on. So after a month of being here, at the Refuge, I obliterated your memory and told you your real birth date and your real name, but I told you your name was Campbell. It was your mother's surname."

"So, yur not weewly a cownsilmin?"

"No, I am the Third. I came up with the idea of the Refuge and helped create it. I just didn't want to live here. I didn't want you to be raised here. I gave the position of First to Madame Raquela instead so I could live freely in the Muggle World with you and your mom. But as you can see, it did not go as I had hoped or planned. I took place as the Third Councilman and they allowed me to keep you as your legal guardian, so long as I followed the rules that were set for Councilmen and –women: to take an additional nine or more children under my care."

Jeremy turned away from Severus. "Why did I wememba now?"

Severus didn't answer him. Jeremy turned to look at his father. Severus could not meet his eyes.

"Dad?"

"The only way you'd remember is if a huge shock came upon you, so to speak. You were…you were hit with the cruciatus curse. It's a curse that tortures anyone it is directed at," Severus said almost in a monotone.

"Who abminishdurred de curse?"

"You don't need to know—he's dead."

"Can'dt I know? Pweeze, Dad?"

Severus ignored Jeremy and stood. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

Jeremy would not relent. "Terla?"

"We haven't found her yet. Possibly, she's sticking close to the Queen's Eyes. We're looking for her, Jerry. I promise you we will find her before this becomes irreversible."

Jeremy blinked and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Dad," he said.

"Yes?"

"Kikass."

Severus smiled. "I'll do that. Get some rest."

Severus stood and walked out of the infirmary, down the steps.

"Is he alright?" Remus asked.

"Define alright?" Severus growled. He covered his face. "Jeremy remembers. He remembers me and he remembers the day his mother died."

Remus slumped against the wall. "Oh. But other than that?"

"He's fine. Why?" Severus lowered his hand stared at Remus. "Why are you so worried about it?"

Remus shook his head. "You and Jeremy knew Harry was still alive, did you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Harry didn't want to be found. I figured you'd be angry."

"I _am_ angry. Did you think I'd betray his whereabouts? What does it matter anymore whether I knew or not? Harry's dead for good now."

Severus started. "What?"

"He was found dueling Helena."

"Sectusempra?"

"No. The Unforgivable Death Curse."

Severus closed his eyes and sighed. "So he really is dead this time."

"Who knows?" Remus said. "He survived that curse once."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Remus. Just because someone survived it once does not mean they could survive it again."

"Then what are we going to do now?"

Severus shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "Merlin help us all, I don't know what we're going to do now. Potter was our last hope, and all we can do is fight until our last dying breath, but it will probably never be enough—"

"The children are gone!"

Remus and Severus ran down the stairs. Madame Raquela came up to them.

"They're all gone! How could they be gone?"

"Jeremy's still here, perhaps he knows what happened," Remus suggested. Madame Raquela strode past them—Severus grabbed her arm.

"Let him rest," Severus growled. "Jeremy needs to sleep."

"All, but him, are gone. Nearly one hundred children, Severus, are gone! As though vanished into thin air! Jeremy knows what happened, and I intend to figure it out for myself."

Severus shook his head.

"You don't agree, Severus?"

"It is not that I don't agree," he said. "But despite how many children may have disappeared in the last few days and whatever Jeremy's connection, I cannot—I _will not_ let you lecture my son. Not now. I will go and ask him what happened to the others. In the meantime, keep everyone who is able to fight fighting." Severus released her and marched upstairs. Madame Raquela, despite Severus' orders, followed alongside Remus.

Severus entered the infirmary again and looked at Jeremy's bed.

"Jeremy? Are you awake?"

Jeremy moved and looked at him. Severus suppressed a sob:

Jeremy's arm was burned, badly. The boy had scraped a layer of skin off his hands and a pack of ice was held to his cheek where Severus slapped him in a desperate attempt to wake him up.

"Madame Raquela has discovered that, other than you, the children have vanished. Do you know what happened?"

Jeremy nodded. "I god'em out," he answered, his tongue still sounding as though it was impairing his speech as though bitten. "I had doo."

"How did you manage that?"

"Da zkie is dee onwy weak point in da Refuge. We fwew untur a consheelmend charm."

Severus nodded then stared at Jeremy. "You said 'we'?"

Jeremy nodded.

"And you came back alone?"

He nodded again.

"Are you barking mad?" Severus snapped. "If you got out, you should have _stayed_ out. Why didn't you leave with the rest o the children?"

Jeremy turned away, rolling on his side. "I had doo comb back," he said. Severus blinked, curious. "I feld as dough I should hewlp fighd. Dat I needed to hewlp fighd."

Severus shook his head. "Load of good that did. Look at you—lying in a hospital bed recovering from head to toe in burns, cuts, scrapes, and the Cruciatus Curse on top of all of it. Get some rest."

"I kan'td," Jeremy said. He turned over and looked at Severus. "I kan'td."

"You have to try. I'll get you a potion, alright?"

Jeremy hesitated for a moment. He nodded an affirmative. Severus walked over to the shelf and pulled out a vial of dreamless sleep potion. He checked the coloring to make sure it was still usable before handing it to Jeremy.

"Drink this," Severus said, uncorking the vial and handing it to Jeremy. "And get some rest."

Jeremy pinched his nose and downed the contents in quick swallows. He handed the vial back to Severus with a grimace on his face and (instantly, but steadily) fell asleep.

Severus shook his head. "Why is it," he muttered, "that I'm always stuck with the reckless idiots to look after?"

No answer came to him.

Severus smiled none the less and sat next to Jeremy, his chest swelling with pride.

He had his son back.


	5. Chapter 5: All To Their Proper Place

Chapter 5: All to Their Proper Place

Jeremy slept peacefully for three days straight, simply healing his injuries and never dreaming.

On the fourth day, he began to dream. He dreamed of a forest.

_The forest floor was barely trodden and surrounding Jeremy were great trees covered in moss._

_No animal approached him or caught his line of sight. He approached a stone cave with moss growing around it like a gateway._

_He stepped inside and looked at the woman—a witch, hard at work at her cauldron. She sat down and thumbed through her spell book, taking notes and testing things. _

"_Hello?" Jeremy said. "Sorry for barging like this, Lady, but where am I?"_

_The woman looked up and smiled at him. "Well, well, well," she said, standing up. "You've come, have you lad?"_

"_You know me?"_

"_Very much. I've been waiting to meet you, Jeremy Snape."_

"_Where am I?" _

"_Alba—you know it better as Scotland, I believe. And you're about to ask who I am."_

_Jeremy blinked: that was his next question. He stared at the woman expectantly. _

"_I am Arthur's Half-Sister," she answered. "And the one who foretold your coming and that of Helena's."_

"_What?" Jeremy said a little harsher than he intended. "You foretold my coming? But I'm nothing special."_

"_Of course you are—unlike some prophets who believe themselves all knowing, I have come to realize that some of those prophets only foretell what can happen in short happenings. But you—I've heard of you long before even your great-great-great-grandfather was even born."_

"_But why was I foretold?"_

"_Who knows," Morgan said, wrapping an arm around Jeremy and leading him to the center of the cage. "Perhaps it was because of when you'll be born."_

"_I was born January eighteenth, 2000. There's nothing special about that day."_

"_On the contrary, there are many events associated with the day. Perhaps in your time, it symbolizes nothing other than your birth. But when I say 'when,' I actually meant the year."_

_Jeremy furrowed his brow. "The year marks the end of a century."_

"_Not just a century, my dear. The end of a Millennium; the Dawn of a New Era…do you _not _know your destiny?"_

_Jeremy shook his head._

_Morgan released him and approached a cauldron. "Just listen." She waved her hand over the cauldron. The bubbling intensified and a voice—Morgan's—echoed about the walls._

"_A prophet yet to foretell of a boy who will kill a Dark Lord…Her prophecy will be void when the Dark Lord brings forth a child during the Ninth Month…The child will be a beast in human form…And when the child of a spy is born, woe to the Beast…"_

_The voice vanished._

"_Though brief, you are mentioned," Morgan said, "when I said: 'when the child of a spy is born, woe to the Beast.'"_

"_You're implying that my father was a spy."_

"_A double agent for the Order of the Phoenix, founded by Albus Dumbledore when the Dark Lord Voldemort rose to power the first time. Why are you so adamant to believe otherwise?"_

"_My dad's just a councilman—a normal wizard."_

"_Yes. But a very brave wizard, and you, Jeremy," Morgan said, "have acquired his bravery. Jeremy, you must sleep no longer. Wake up and embrace your destiny."_

"_What of Terra?"_

"_Terra will be alright, I assure you."_

"_And Harry?"_

_Morgan remained silent._

"_What of Harry?"_

_Morgan forced Jeremy into a seat. "Harry Potter's destiny was to die at the hands of the Beast."_

_Jeremy blanched. "But he survived her…twice."_

"_Third time's the charm, I believe the saying is," Morgan said. "Yes, it was foretold that he was the Dark Lord's equal, but he was _not _the Beast's equal. Do you want to avenge him?"_

_Jeremy swallowed. Harry had been a jerk to him on more than one occasion—he couldn't forget that._

_But…at the same time…it was almost like having a big brother._

"_Yes."_

"_Then avenge him…"_

Jeremy woke to bright, annoying light.

Someone stood over him. "Good, you're awake," Remus said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"You're articulate again. That's a good sign. What are you doing?"

Jeremy didn't answer, but hoisted himself up into a sitting position. "Where's Dad?"

"On the field," Remus answered, holding Jeremy's shoulders. "Stay in bed."

"I've been in bed long enough."

"Jeremy, you just woke up, you haven't eaten—"

"Then get me something to eat," Jeremy snapped. "I need to get down there."

"You," Remus growled, tightening his grip on Jeremy's shoulders, "will do no such thing! You're dad will be alright. I'll get you some porridge, but you need to rest."

"I feel fine."

"You're not," Remus snapped. "Stay there. I'll be back in a moment."

Jeremy waited for Remus to leave before stepping throwing the covers off of him and grabbing his dirty jeans and shirt and pulling them on. He pocketed the wand and grabbed the first broom he could find before opening the window and jumping out.

The broom was old and in poor shape, but it kept him steady as it floated downward.

The battle was on standby.

Jeremy landed at the foot of the steps to the School and looked around. When he found a group of Queen's Eyes, he grabbed a tattered, white fabric, with a small drop of blood and walked toward them, his arm raised high.

"What do you want, boy? Do you want to join our ranks?"

"I want to speak with Lady Helena," Jeremy said. The Queen's Eyes laughed. "I want to challenge her to a duel." The laughter died.

"A serious thing to say, boy," one of them said.

"I am more serious than I had ever been in my life."

The Queen's Eyes looked at each other then one of them grabbed Jeremy's shoulder and pulled him toward their camp.

He marched in, dragging Jeremy along and entered a tent. Helena and Terra were talking, leaning over a map.

The Queen's Eye threw Jeremy to the ground.

"Go on, boy," he snarled. Jeremy stood and stared at Helena without blinking.

"Helena Therese Riddle," he began. Helena raised her eyebrows and examined Jeremy curiously. "I challenge you to a duel."

"A duel?"

"To the death."

Terra's mouth parted in a silent gasp, but she closed it as soon as she had opened it.

Helena stepped toward Jeremy and circled him. "You think," she began, "that you could best me in a duel to the death? Me? Who is older, wiser, more experienced? Very well. However, to the death is rather harsh, Jeremy. How about a wager?"

Jeremy looked at Helena, then to Terra. He nodded.

"If I win, you will join me alongside Terra as her bodyguard. I'm sure she at least trusts you enough for such a task, am I right?"

Terra nodded.

"And if I win," Jeremy said. "I'll snap your wand and you must leave Europe and never return. You _and _your Queen's Eyes…but Terra stays."

"Terra, is that fair?"

"Yes, my lady."

"See? I can play fair. Of course, you're welcome to try to kill me."

_Likewise,_ Jeremy thought. He followed Helena outside of the tent and to the middle of the field.

The sky was darkening fast and it began to rain.

They reached the center of the muddy field and Jeremy walked further toward the Refuge's army.

He turned around. "Before we begin, tell me what happened to Harry."

Helena smirked. "No one told you?"

"I've been asleep for some time."

Her smirk widened. "The fool is dead. I made sure to kill him for good this time. Now, we bow."

Jeremy and Helena bowed, never breaking eye contact. "He loved you."

"He was in love with an illusion," Helena spat, straightening. She raised her wand. "Sectusempra!!"

Jeremy dodged and the spell hit a tent. He heard shouting and dodged another bout of Sectusempra.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, sending a jet of red light toward Helena. She blocked.

"You can't kill me with that spell, Jeremy," Helena snapped, "Sectusempra!"

Jeremy dodged again, "Expelliarmus!"

Helena flew through the air. She stood, and flicked her wand hand in irritation.

"You've done it now, boy!" A Queen's Eye shouted.

Jeremy swallowed, watching Helena slink toward him dangerously. She waved her wand toward him and Jeremy turned upside down and hung in midair.

"JEREMY!!!"

"Keep them back," Helena shouted.

Jeremy's sight wavered and his breathing was heavy. Helena stalked toward him. "What do you intend to do now, Jeremy?" He didn't answer. Helena scowled and aimed her wand at him. "Crucio."

Jeremy screamed.

"Stupid, foolish, idiotic little boy! Did you really think you could fight me? Did you really think you were equal to Harry Potter? Did you really believe you could save Terra?"

_When the child of a spy is born…woe to the Beast…_

Jeremy kept writhing in pain, screaming. Helena lowered her wand.

"Who are you to think that you could defy _me_?" She flicked her wrist and Jeremy fell to the ground. "Answer me."

Jeremy swallowed, trying to think. "I…I'm just…"

"Just _what_?"

"I'm just a son of a spy," Jeremy said. He raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!" Both Jeremy and Helena shrieked. The spells connected, forcing the other back like an unstoppable force hitting an unmoving object.

Jeremy disconnected the spells and dodged. The spell hit someone behind him instead. He didn't know who. Jeremy didn't pause to breathe: he skidded to a halt and changed course, running straight at Helena.

"Imperio! Crucio! Sectusempra! _Avada Kedavra_!" Helena screamed, trying to hit Jeremy. He dodged each spell, continuously getting as close to her as he could.

He dodged another course of spells and slammed his fist into Helena's stomach.

Her breath caught in her throat and Helena doubled over. Jeremy aimed his wand at Helena's skull.

_You can't hesitate to stun your enemies._

_I'm sorry, Harry, I'm not going to stun her. _Jeremy barely whispered the words and a thin jet of green light came out of the wand. Helena's wide eyes widened further and life left her.

The entire field was in silence. Not a bird sang. Not even the sound of water could reach their ears.

Jeremy's strength gave out. His vision blurred and he fell…

~One Month Later: January 2016~

"I can't believe I slept through the holiday season," Jeremy snapped at himself.

"Did you say something?" Severus asked, staring at Jeremy.

"No, Dad," Jeremy answered, following Severus into their new apartment, "Just talking to myself." They entered the building and walked up the stairs, "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Who was your best friend's son? I've been wondering about it while in the infirmary back at the Refuge?"

"Oh?" Severus said, setting a box down. Jeremy followed suit and they went back down to get the next load. "It was Harry."

Jeremy almost tripped. "You liked Harry's _mom_?! Does that make him…sorta like…"

"No. He's not your brother, but you sure acted like brothers, frighteningly enough," Severus said. They grabbed the next boxes and walked up in silence. "Jer, are you feeling okay?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"Are you certain?"

"Dad, I'm fine," Jeremy snapped.

"Jeremy, it's alright to _not_ be fine. You've been more quiet than usual."

Jeremy set the box down. "It was a battle. People will die whether we want them to or not."

Severus shook his head. Jeremy definitely matured, but he was still a child—idiotic and foolish. But it was a different kind of foolish than what it used to be. He had cooled his temper, but he was more solemn than he needed to be.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it," Severus said. They went back down for the last two boxes.

Cole had been released after he and Terra talked. Jeremy had been in the hospital, so Severus mediated the conversation between them…though Jeremy desperately wanted to be there himself.

After apologies had been said and done with, as well as misunderstandings cleared up, Terra went and spoke with Tonks.

The Refuge was still functioning as a School, but it was no longer the place it used to be. The Teachers remained and the Council served more as a board of directors than a council.

Hogwarts was currently being searched for anything and anyone who might be there. Children were being sent to St. Mungo's for care and the old rooms at the school would be given to them where they would live then go about as a student when the time came.

Cole was able to graduate due to being pardoned by the Council and Terra.

Jeremy, however, had a newly acquired taste for adventure, and so he and Severus moved to the Muggle World, into a flat in London. After setting the boxes down, Severus flicked his wrist and the boxes began to unpack themselves.

"I thought you said, 'no magic.'"

"That rule," Severus said with a smirk, "does _not_ apply to me. It's an old rule that has lasted for years to avoid detection. As you are still a student, your use of magic is still considered _underage_."

"Not cool."

Severus laughed. "Come on; let's get you back to school."

"That's worse!"

Severus took a hold of Jeremy's and they apparated back to the School. "Good luck."

"Don't even start!" Jeremy shouted, marching into what was once the Refuge.

Severus shook his head. "I wonder how he'll handle a normal school." He apparated back to the apartment…

Terra sat next to Jeremy. "Back already?"

"Apparently," Jeremy snapped, picking at his food, "my dad isn't going to let me mess around another month."

"Sorry to hear that," she said. Terra sipped at her pumpkin juice delicately. "But I'm glad he made you come back sooner rather than later."

"Why?"

"I haven't apologized to you yet. I've said some things I never really meant to say…and yet, you didn't give up on me after I said them."

"You don't have to. I knew you were upset. It's natural to want revenge for what happened."

"But I caused more damage than I wanted to cause. All I wanted was to get revenge against Cole. You saw that she was using me and I completely ignored you."

Terra swallowed and set her cup down. "When I talked to Cole, I half expected him to be smug about it, since he's always been that way. But when I saw him, he started to cry. I've never seen him like that before. Ever."

"He really does love you," Jeremy said, trying to hide his distaste. "The only reason he didn't come with me to save you was because he was—"

"Scared?" Terra interrupted. Jeremy nodded. "He told me. He told me everything. The problem wasn't that he…assaulted me…but that I didn't know I had that affect on him. Or you, for that matter."

"Is something the matter, Terra?" Jeremy asked, looking at her firmly.

Terra swallowed. "Cole asked me to give him a second chance."

"Oh. So…" Jeremy's voice caught in his throat. He swallowed. "You're…dating him?"

"No; just friends like you and he are. He understands that I don't care for him romantically, so he's going to find someone else to pursue."

"Do you worry for that girl?"

"A little, but I think he'll be more careful now."

"I see," Jeremy said. He couldn't help but feel a little relieved by what she told him. Jeremy stood. "Terra," he began. She looked at him curiously.

"Yes?"

"Um…I'll see you later, right?"

"Right."

Jeremy turned away. His steps fell heavy. He stopped and turned back to her. "Terra, that isn't what I was going to say."

"Then what?" Terra snapped. She winced at her harshness.

"I do love you and…I know you're still a little on edge around guys, but…but…if it's not too much to ask, would you like to…to go out with me?"

Jeremy was sure the heat was on to high, feeling too embarrassed to say that it was just him. Terra was blushing just as bad as he was.

"I…" she stuttered. Terra swallowed, then nodded her head. "Sure."

Jeremy smiled. "Later."

"Later."

He walked to his lesson with Remus. It was Monday, but Jeremy was certain nothing would phase his mood. Not History. Not Meditation. Not Voldemort risen from the grave.

Epilogue

Centuries before Hogwarts fell, or was even built, Morgan le Fay, Arthur's Half-sister—the mismatched eyed witch foretold of a beast in human flesh. Her prophecy left little hope.

Except one small sentence:

_When the son of a spy is born…woe to the Beast…_

Though it was a small hope, not giving much information about this son of a spy, it was enough. But the part about the child was lost and no one expected his coming.

But he came anyway.

And he fulfilled his purpose…

* * *

A warm thank you to all who read the "Sleep Not for the Beast Walks" Trilogy! I hope that I wasn't too obvious revealing that Severus is Jeremy's father. I was worried that everyone was going to figure it out from the end of the prologue.

Again, I extend my thanks to you my dear readers! (Meh, being a little formal never hurt, did it? :D ) Reviews are appreciated and desired, but optional. :)

~silverneko9lives0


End file.
